McLaren International has won the Big Project Middle East ‘design and build project of the year’ award for its work on the Al Karamah SEN private school in Abu Dhabi.

Organised by CPI Trade Media, producers of MEConstructionNews.com, the Big Project ME awards are a long-standing part of the regional construction calendar, with interest and nominations coming from as far afield as Egypt and Morocco. The award category was fiercely contested against some very high-profile projects in the region. The McLaren team won the award on the complexity of the project and the fast track delivery. McLaren was assessed on how the team lead the project in an open and collaborative manner, delivering within budget, in partnership with the customer.

The award win is testament to the work of the McLaren International team to design and build an educational facility that serves a fundamental need within the UAE. Al Karamah SEN School which is a state funded school owned by ADEK (Abu Dhabi Education Council) and operated by Priory Group, is one of the first in the region that is dedicated to serving local pupils with autism spectrum disorders, enhancing the educational landscape and social care system within Abu Dhabi.

Pre-construction Director for McLaren International, Lyndon Hives, explains: “The Al Karamah SEN school is a truly original and a much-needed facility for the region and focuses on the needs of a very specific cohort of pupils. The facility is carefully crafted around the way in which young people with autism engage with their environment, allowing them to get the most from their education.

“Congratulations to the McLaren International team who worked so hard to successfully deliver this project in such a collaborative manner under challenging parameters, it’s a very well-deserved win.”

For more information on the project visit: https://www.mclarengroup.com/projects/al-karama-sen-school-abu-dhabi/

Big Project Award win for McLaren International

Maurice Archer

Paul Kerry

Tony Whyte

Nick Mendes

Jay Newman

Joe Blogs

With a focus on customer satisfaction and repeat project delivery for key clients, Mark has driven the sustained profitable growth during this period with the business. Mark attributes the success of the International Business to a broad level of employee expertise, high levels of employee engagement and teamwork, and stakeholder collaboration  

As an advocate of life-long learning, Mark commenced his career as a Civil Engineer with Tarmac Construction and continued his development via Leadership Development Programmes with Carillion, multiple Health, Safety, Environmental and Sustainability programmes with Al Naboodah, culminating most recently with an MSc in Construction Project Management with Heriot Watt University, Dubai.  

Mark’s key skillsets include creating and sustaining environments for high performing teams to succeed and deliver, a high level of emotional intelligence which allows him to build and maintain relationships among all business stakeholders, a delivery focussed mindset and a passion for driving business strategy.  

With over 35 years’ construction experience, Mark worked for Carillion for 20 years in the UK and more recently has spent the past 14 years in the Middle East where Mark was responsible for the delivery of the expansion of Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport in his role as Project Director with Al Naboodah.  Mark subsequently took the role of General Manager, Al Naboodah Building and secured new work avenues for the business outside of the traditional high-rise residential and airport projects into the delivery of major sporting venues such as the NAS Arena and Al Ahli Football Stadium.  

Joining the International arm of the McLaren business in 2014 as Regional Managing Director, Mark leads the delivery of construction projects in the United Arab Emirate.  During his time with McLaren, Mark has driven the transition from a business with a focus on warehouse delivery to one that is now seen as a key delivery partner in the education and high-end residential sectors, with the business now also recognised as a partner of choice for multiple international data centre clients.  

Managing Director - Construction UAE

Mark Stephen Hunt

Development and Inclusion Manager

Steven Roberts

Technical Manager heading the Education sector

Technical Manager

Craig Shanley

Pre-Construction Director, Data Centres

Dave McDonnell

Divisional Director - Commercial Offices (London)

Domonic Egan

Pre-Construction Director (Façades)

Claire Tribe

Operations Director

Paul Woodhams

Gary has over 30 years in the construction industry and has a deep understanding of numerous sectors within the industry. His area of additional expertise is around industrial and distribution projects, amassing extensive knowledge of this sub-sector. 

Gary's management style is to be motivational, he's very much a people person that creates a positive environment for the teams that he leads.. He has an honest, open, solution driven approach and also ensures our customers get the best quality buildings delivered across the region.

As the Director responsible for all McLaren Midlands & North projects, Gary leads this regional team and is responsible for all aspects of delivery and commercial business performance.

With a hands on approach, Gary works closely with delivery teams to ensure a robust procurement strategy is implemented from inception through to post-completion, without compromise to safety and quality.

Managing Director - Midlands & North Construction

Gary Cramp

Group Commercial Director

Paul Spiller

Divisional Director, London & South Construction

Group Digital Construction Manager

Thomas Flannery

Pre-Construction Director, UAE

Lyndon Hives

Divisional Director

Richard Eager

Vice Chairman & Co-Founder

Phil Pringle

Project Director

Ben Talbot

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Chief Executive - Construction Group

Paul Heather

Head of Learning & Development

Sam Bolton

John has has over 30 years' experience in the construction industry, leading construction and commercial teams to deliver highly prestigious developments across London and the south east. 


Notably, John played key role in delivering the the Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games, ensuring that the scheme incorporated flexibility in the design, multiple currency arrangements and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) fit-out, whilst ensuring the programme was successfully delivered on time for the games.

McLaren construction’s most experienced residential delivery leader in London. John looks after our Major Projects division which was formed in 2014, and has been a member of the Main Board since 2019.

Managing Director - Major Projects

John Butten

Over 18 years’ experience as a Managing Director, formerly within Berkeley Group, and 29 years of total development experience. Matthew has worked extensively to oversee all aspects of mixed-use urban regeneration projects including partnership arrangements and delivering large-scale residential developments.

Matthew will work alongside former Chief Executive of Newham Council, Kim Bromley-Derry CBE, to strengthen McLaren’s partnership offering and develop long-term joint ventures. Under his leadership, McLaren Living will create agile, solutions-focused partnerships and joint ventures with private and public-sector organisations, bringing speed and flexibility to the process of building much-needed homes and mixed-use developments, across the UK.

Matthew Biddle joins the business to lead a dedicated team of experts who understand how to unlock developments and create places that make a positive difference to local communities. He brings with him 18 years of experience, leading residential development businesses at Berkeley Group. This includes building strong relationships with local authorities and registered providers. 

Managing Director - McLaren Living

Matthew Biddle

 Bev has extensive experience working within the construction industry, having spent a large part of her career at Balfour Beatty and Galliford Try.  She previously held roles as Senior HR Business Partner, HR Director and Graduate Recruitment Manager.

Beverley joined McLaren in 2021 to lead our HR team. She is an experienced HR professional with a proven track record within the construction industry. Beverley's HR team is reimagining all aspects of the McLaren People Agenda – from recruitment through to onboarding and induction, personal and career development and employee engagement.

Group Head of Human Resources

Beverley Whiteford

Planning Director

Brendan Johnston

From 2010 - 2018, Kim was the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Newham, accountable for the strategic and operational leadership of the Borough including delivery of the 2012 London Olympic Games infrastructure. 

His leadership in the public sector helps McLaren to define and execute our commitments, and manage complex stakeholders, across all of the local Boroughs in the UK.

Kim joined McLaren in 2018 after more than a decade at Newham, first as executive director for children’s services and then as chief since 2010, where he oversaw the delivery of infrastructure related to the 2012 London Olympics. His primary role is to oversee our public sector development strategy across the Group as a memeber of our Main Board.

Executive Director

Kim Bromley-Derry

Regional Building Services Director

Robert Topp

Jay started his career at Birse Construction 23 years ago before moving to Fitzpatrick in 1995. He progressed through the ranks at Fitzpatrick and joined McLaren Construction Ltd in August 2001 as Senior Quantity Surveyor on our first ever project. Jay was McLaren's third employee after our two founders Kevin Taylor and Phil Pringle. In the 16 years Since our inception, Jay has been with has been involved in all aspects of our growth to becoming the major contractor we are today. Whether that be helping to establish our U.A.E business or being key to securing key projects at both Tiger Way and Nile Street in the education sector.

Most recently Jay has lead the Commercial team in our South Business achieving an enviable turnover and profit in the 2016/2017 financial year. He was then promoted to Managing Director of the south business in 2020.

Jay joined McLaren in 2001, and with over 25 years’ construction industry experience. He leads our UK south construction team, and has worked across a variety of sectors including Industrial, Residential, Technology, Education, and Commercial, overseeing regional delivery of numerous schools, distribution centres, offices, and residential developments.

Managing Director - South Construction

Group Quality Manager

Andrew Taylor

Craig is responsible for all financial aspects of the Group and provides valued guidance in regard to the Finance, Accounting and Investment strategy. His experience covers all aspects of accounting, financial management, financial reporting, treasury, tax and audit.

Prior to working for McLaren, Craig held roles as Chief Financial Officer at Renaissance Capital, Jebel Ali Free Zone and Gazeley. During his time at Gazeley, at the time a wholly owned subsidiary of Wal‐ Mart, Craig worked on a variety of real estate development and corporate projects, including the sale of the business to Dubai World. Whilst at the Renaissance Group, as CFO for Africa, Craig oversaw the investment bank’s $1bn Pan‐African urban land & infrastructure development business.

Craig trained as an accountant and holds an honours degree in Accounting Science and Economics. He also attended Harvard Business School where he completed the Advanced Management Program.

Craig is the Chief Financial Officer for the McLaren Group, joining the business in 2013. He oversees the Construction, Real Estate and International divisions. Craig is a highly commercial finance and real estate professional with over 20 years of broad international experience, having lived and worked across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Chief Financial Officer

Craig Young

Darren has over 31 years experience in the construction industry and has a deep understanding of various sectors within construction. His management style is positive and collaborative, which inspires team work and a positive environment for the teams he works with. 

Darren has an honest, open, solution driven approach and ensures our customers’ needs always come first on every project he works on.

Prior to joining McLaren, he was quantity surveyor by trade and spent the last 22 years at Bouygues, including four years in Asia. Darren rose to become their UK Managing Director before joining our business.

As Managing Director for the London region, Darren leads the London construction team across all projects valued under £80m, and is responsible for all aspects of delivery and ensuring that customer aspirations and objectives are fulfilled.

Working closely with Divisional Directors, and the McLaren team, he also ensures a robust procurement strategy is implemented from inception through to post-completion, without compromise to safety and quality.

Managing Director - London & South Construction

Darren Gill

IT Director

Daniel Blackman

A Chartered Surveyor with an architectural background, Adam understands the challenge of delivering inspirational architecture, robust commercial solutions and helping project teams to overcome challenges that require a cohesive design and commercial management strategy.

Adam spent his formative years as a Quantity Surveyor in Guernsey, subsequently moving to the UK full time in 2005 to spend 7 years with Balfour Beatty before joining McLaren in 2012.

As Group Pre-construction Director, it is Adam's responsibility to ensure that on all projects we fully understand project requirements and deliver outstanding solutions through design and procurement. Adam is also a key member of our Group Main Board and oversees many strategic developments across key functions such as sustainability, digital technology and our approach to creating social value.

Group Pre-construction Director

Adam Nicholson

Maurice has gained extensive experience in both the private and public sectors of the industry, during the last twenty years in a senior managerial capacity, utilising various contractual arrangements. 

He takes a strategic overview of the business to ensure we are well positioned in the marketplace to take full advantage of work-winning opportunities in our target sectors and with our preferred customers. This is particularly important as we continue to strengthen our position in all our target markets, including frameworks and the public sector.

Maurice also works very closely with our Finance team, managing key relationships with auditors and our external stakeholders.

Having spent 15 years as Group Commercial Director, contributing to our business through a period of continuous and successful growth, Maurice Archer is now our Group Strategic Director and sits on the Main Board. He oversees the Business Development and Communications functions, working in conjunction with Pre-Construction and Estimating. 

Group Strategic Director

The McLaren Group of companies is one of the UK’s most successful privately owned businesses, employing in excess of 700 employees across the construction, real estate and international divisions, with turnover in excess of £600m and GDV developed to date of £1.5bn.

He also co-founded McLaren Property in 2010 With John Gatley, in order to complement the Construction business, seeing an opportunity to grow the group further through the development of real estate.

Kevin Taylor is the Executive Chairman and Founder of the McLaren Construction Group, which he established in 2001.  As Chairman, Kevin’s role is to lead the Group to deliver in all respect for our customers, and those of our colleagues, communities and environment. 

Chairman

Kevin Taylor

Managing Director - South Construction (I&L)

Dave Gavin

Group Legal Director

Zac Spyrou

Finance Director - Construction

Andrew McCune

Sustainability Manager

Brody Isaac

Estimating Director - Midlands & North

Johnathan Neeld

Jo has experience in delivering handover and aftercare in residential, commercial, hospital, schools and mixed use developments. During construction, she provides support to the project teams to ensure defects are built out and preventative measures are adopted to ensure the highest standards. 

Jo is instrumental in developing the handover plan and aftercare function that tailors the handover requirements for each project and supports the client team with their mobilisation. If a defect does occur, a robust system is in place to ensure it is managed and closed out correctly with clear and regular communication back to the end users and stakeholders. 

As the Business Transformation and Customer Care Director for Major Projects, Jo supports the project teams in understanding customer and stakeholder interfaces; how they use their facilities, the post-build operational processes and needs of each key group member.

Business Transformation and Customer Care Director

Joanne Wynne

Working for top tier main contractors for over 20 years, Helen has a solid background in delivering in complex, high-end schemes, across a variety of market sectors.  

The projects delivered encompass both new build or cut and carve refurbishment, with an extensive variety of construction methods and materials. 

Her experience in both preconstruction and site delivery ensures lessons learnt are applied at all stages of the scheme.

With over 25 years’ experience working with clients to ensure that their expectations are met, Helen will ensure her London team manages all elements of the design development process to the highest standards. She also leads in assisting the commercial team to proceure each project, seeking ways to reduce financial risk during construction.  Helen will develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure optimal performance.

Design Director

Helen Yardley-Wollaston

Pre-construction Director - Major Projects

Lee Gledhilll

Group Business Development Director

Nick Fox

Procurement Director

Steve Button

Contract and Governance Advisor

Barry Mellon

Estimating Manager

Steven Florence

SHEQ Director

Alan Blanchett

Estimating Director - Major Projects

Cliff Davey

Proposals Manager

Ola Adesida

Divisional Director - Data Centres

Tony LaCroix

Divisional Head of Health & Safety

Jason Moss

Business Development Director

Bruce Clarke

Ashley is a BIM expert with an interest in BIM strategies and data management.  With 15 years  industry experience,  she has worked on projects  in all stages having  worked in design,  client BIM consultancy and for a number of Tier 1 Main Contractors.  

She works both at a project and strategic level, implementing BIM at McLaren  as well as supporting a number of industry groups and panels. Ashley is  an Executive at the UK BIM Alliance, a leading industry group supporting the  UK BIM Mandate and  implementation of  BIM industry standards.  This  experience gives Ashley a unique industry perspective and understanding of the challenges and opportunities  encountered delivering BIM,  she is able  to develop BIM delivery strategies relevant to all stages  of a project lifecycle.

Ashley Murray is our Digital Programme Lead, heading up the BIM function and a team of visualisers. Her team works on group policy and key projects from the early stages, creating BIM models and supporting live projects during design development and the creation of asset libraries. Ashley leads our joined-up BIM strategy, supporting clients to develop their BIM objectives into robust BIM delivery requirements on all of our projects.